Buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm., is a warm-season, stoloniferous, sod-forming, perennial grass. Drought resistant, adapted to grazing, and helpful in erosion control of heavy soils, buffalograss is an important range grass found mainly in the central prairies of the United States with its full range of distribution extending from Canada to Mexico.
The species is well adapted to warm semi-arid and sub-humid regions of the United States. Levels of annual precipitation supporting optimal growth range from 12 to 25 inches.
Buffalograss is moderately dense, fine-leafed, grayish-green, and drought and temperature tolerant. The species survives drought and severe heat by remaining dormant until there is sufficient moisture to sustain growth.
The shallow root system permits this species to take maximum advantage of brief summer rains. When water is supplied, rapid growth occurs. Buffalograss will thus survive without supplemental irrigation, but will more actively grow and hold its green color throughout the season if irrigated.
Buffalograss is a highly adaptable grass which requires little maintenance, and which is highly competitive in adverse conditions. This species is short growing, thus requiring only occasional mowing. Although buffalograss grows best on relatively heavy, fertile, well drained soils, it is adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions. In addition, it has good wear tolerance, and persists under close mowing and intense traffic.
In the past, buffalograss has not been developed specifically for turf purposes. To the contrary, varieties of buffalograss on the market were developed as forage grasses, useful for dryland grazing and vegetation.
Existing varieties of buffalograss such as Texoka, Sharps Improved, and Comanche reproduce sexually from seeds. These grasses were cultivated specifically for forage rather than turf purposes and are produced and distributed predominately by seed. The seeded varieties of buffalograss produce female and male flowers, the latter of which are generally considered unsightly. These buffalograsses also lack uniformity and density because the genetic diversity of seeded buffalograsses results in a highly variable population. In particular, segregated male and female individual plants become obviously distinct within 2 to 3 years and thus create an irregular turf.
Moreover, buffalograss seed is surrounded by a burr which must be pretreated to reduce subsequent dormancy. The burr represents a hard shell around three to four caryopsis which must be pretreated to break dormancy. Germination of the burred seeds is also often erratic and difficult to predict or influence, making uniform stand establishment difficult. In addition, the burr does not flow uniformly through many of the seeders or drills designed for normal grass seeds. Thus, it is difficult to establish existing varieties of buffalograss in a uniform and rapid manner.